Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1887-11-24
DERWsHes OF coNsTANTINoPLE.

Scenes Which Are Likely to Affect the
Nerves of the SpectatOr-At the Close.
These dervishes hold their services in a
sort of square hall around which is q wooden
gallery provided with few benches for vis-
itors. The dervishes themselves sat first in a
row on the floor at one end OF the hall, oppo-
site them the emir or high priest. They were
clothed In long cloaks and wore heavy felt
turbans on their heads. At first both their
gestures and voices are moderate. They sim
ply sway toward the ground, intoning a spe-
cies of litany. Now and then the vsicss rise
into shout and the call upon Allah and the
word "Bismillah" are distinguished among
the unfamiliar Turkish sounds This lasts
some time, and one is beginning TO wonder if
this is all when it stops However. they all
rise, and now, as the Germans say, Ses geht
los" Each man comforts his body as best
pleases him, some throwing it violently back
ward and forward, some twisting it from
side to side, some turning their heads with
such velocity that the eyes almost start ont
of their sockets
Soon tie perspiration begins to stream from
their faces; an attendant goes about and ~
ieves first one and then another Of his tur-
han, which he kisses as he receives it, supply
ing in its place a white cotton skull can,
from his frantic motions, accompanied by
incessant measured stamping on the floor,
violent cries or almost unearthly groans like
a sound from some pursued and exhausted
animal The nerves of the spectator
become so affected at last that it
seems as if his own head must begin to
bob and his limbs to comfort themselves.
Every minute you think that the ecstasy"
into which these men have worked themselves
must hurl one or the other of them in a fit
upon the ground; you actually desire that
something awful and worth 50 much effort
may occur, and you feel disappointed when,
at given signal, they stop short and stand
there perfectly quiet, wiping their faces as If
it were merely a warm day. In former times,
when a certain pitch of frenzy was attained
they used to cut themselves with knives
This now been forbidden by the sultan,
althor IN the instruments formerly in use still
decorate the walls.
The emir himself took part in the latter
part of the performances, and it is not neceS-
sary to be dervish to participate in them.
Various laymen howled and twisted with the
others, and a certain Turkish officer has made
himself quite famous with his strength OF
voice and suppleneSs of limb l forgot tosay
that they are continually melted to fresh eff
forts by a professional 'Singerr-a Turkish
youth who sat upon the floor and screamed
at the top of his lungs. At the close Of the
performance persons afflicted with rheuma-
tism or other similar diseases lie down and
let the emir walk over them. Children also
are laid upon the ground that he may step on
them; one OF these was a little girl not moro
than years old This tread is supposed 20
impart both healing and holiness. Very diff
ferent from the howlers are their brothers,
the dancing dervisheS These simply form
themselves into two or three circles, and with
outstretched arms and air filed skirts, turn
and turn, like SO many tops concluding with
the same graceful compoSure with which they
began.-C -Constantinople Cor. Springfield Re
publican